Virtual appliance deployment

Abstract

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for efficiently processing information. In some embodiments, this includes determining a physical appliance to virtualize, creating a virtual appliance based on the physical appliance,and storing the virtual appliance in a storage array. In some emdodiments, creating the virtual appliance includes creating the virtual appliance from a template.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for processing information, comprising:
 determining a first physical appliance to virtualize; 
 creating a first virtual appliance based on the first physical appliance, wherein the first virtual appliance and the first physical appliance both provide a first service; and 
 installing an image of the first virtual appliance on a first blade comprising a storage array, wherein the storage array is configured to use the image of the first virtual appliance to instantiate on demand a first running instance of the first virtual appliance on the first blade in response to a request to provide the first service with respect to the storage array, wherein the first running instance of the first virtual appliance comprises a dynamic set of one or more running instances of virtual appliances, and wherein each of at least some of blades comprising the storage array is installed with at least one virtual appliance image that may be instantiated on demand to provide a corresponding service. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein creating the first virtual appliance includes creating the first virtual appliance from a template. 
     
     
       3. The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising installing more than one copy of the image of the first virtual appliance on one or more blades comprising the storage array. 
     
     
       4. The method as recited in  claim 3 , wherein a second copy of the first virtual appliance is installed on a second blade comprising the storage array. 
     
     
       5. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first blade has ESX installed. 
     
     
       6. The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic set of one or more running instances of virtual appliances is changed over time including by: adding to the dynamic set additional instances of virtual appliances that have been instantiated from the virtual appliance images installed on the plurality of blades as corresponding services are requested; and removing from the dynamic set running instances of virtual appliance that have been decommissioned as corresponding services are determined to be no longer needed. 
     
     
       7. A system for processing information, comprising a processor configured to:
 determine a first physical appliance to virtualize; 
 create a first virtual appliance based on the first physical appliance, wherein the first virtual appliance and the first physical appliance both provide a first service; and 
 installing an image of the first virtual appliance on a first blade comprising a storage array, wherein the storage array is configured to use the image of the first virtual appliance to instantiate on demand a first running instance of the first virtual appliance on the first blade in response to a request to provide the first service with respect to the storage array, wherein the first running instance of the first virtual appliance comprises a dynamic set of one or more running instances of virtual appliances, and wherein each of at least some of blades comprising the storage array is installed with at least one virtual appliance image that may be instantiated on demand to provide a corresponding service. 
 
     
     
       8. The system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein creating the first virtual appliance includes creating the first virtual appliance from a template. 
     
     
       9. The system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to install more than one copy of the image of the first virtual appliance on one or more blades comprising the storage array. 
     
     
       10. The system as recited in  claim 9 , wherein a second copy of the first virtual appliance is installed on a second blade comprising the storage array. 
     
     
       11. The system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the first blade has ESX installed. 
     
     
       12. The system as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the dynamic set of one or more running instances of virtual appliances is changed over time including by: adding to the dynamic set additional instances of virtual appliances that have been instantiated from the virtual appliance images installed on the plurality of blades as corresponding services are requested; and removing from the dynamic set running instances of virtual appliance that have been decommissioned as corresponding services are determined to be no longer needed. 
     
     
       13. A computer program product for storing data, comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions embodied therein for:
 determining a first physical appliance to virtualize; 
 creating a first virtual appliance based on the first physical appliance, wherein the first virtual appliance and the first physical appliance both provide a first service; and 
 installing an image of the first virtual appliance on a first blade comprising a storage array, wherein the storage array is configured to use the image of the first virtual appliance to instantiate on demand a first running instance of the first virtual appliance on the first blade in response to a request to provide the first service with respect to the storage array, wherein the first running instance of the first virtual appliance comprises a dynamic set of one or more running instances of virtual appliances, and wherein each of at least some of blades comprising the storage array is installed with at least one virtual appliance image that may be instantiated on demand to provide a corresponding service. 
 
     
     
       14. The computer program product as recited in  claim 13 , wherein creating the first virtual appliance includes creating the first virtual appliance from a template. 
     
     
       15. The computer program product as recited in  claim 13 , further comprising installing more than one copy of the image of the first virtual appliance on one or more blades comprising the storage array. 
     
     
       16. The computer program product as recited in  claim 15 , wherein a second copy of the first virtual appliance is installed on a second blade comprising the storage array. 
     
     
       17. The computer program product as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the first blade has ESX installed. 
     
     
       18. The computer program product as recited in  claim 13 , wherein the dynamic set of one or more running instances of virtual appliances is changed over time including by: adding to the dynamic set additional instances of virtual appliances that have been instantiated from the virtual appliance images installed on the plurality of blades as corresponding services are requested; and removing from the dynamic set running instances of virtual appliance that have been decommissioned as corresponding services are determined to be no longer needed.